Sometimes sitting down and having a beer is the best way to solve a design problem. Cheers 🍻

POWERDOME-Two men enter, one man leaves. Merry Christmas Max and a very happy and prosperous new year. JC Liverpool, UK

I love how the shop is turning out. You have such an amazing selection of tools. You really have your work cut out for you.

I was watching fabrication/machine shop layout videos and none of them was a shop head like yourself! Plus Aussie fabricators/machinists/car guys are so damn charming

Looking good, so many projects just waiting for the holidays. So many wonderful machines

Hi Max, I like the lengthwise layout with isles between. The crane will be good. I've been thinking of a few pole cranes myself, I'll be interested to see your design.....Dave

Looks good. Hard to believe I was in your shoes just a year and a half ago. I tried to lay out my shop like you are doing yours. Only thing I didn't do well was the limited access to my mills.

“I sat down, had a beer and it all came to me”. It’s amazing how that works! Merry Christmas and all the best in the new year and new shop. It’s looking great Max, from snowy, frozen, Northwestern Ontario in Canada.

All that space would be a luxury to me. My small machines are fitted jigsaw style into a 3x5m workshop! Regarding the drawbar for the mill horiz spindle, I made one threaded both ends and use a removable nut on the back. That way the drawbar comes out attached to the arbor at the front where I've got room.

Geez, you are gonna need employees in a grand shop such as yours. Looking great !!

Cheers Max….. your dedication to detail is legendary and it sure shows in every part of this show build. 👍👍😎👍👍. 2023 is going to be awesome

Jesus mate, you’ve got more machining and production capacity than some smaller countries - love it, - ive just had to run a 200 metre 3 phase, 70 mm2 cable about to be connected in new year - I’m closely following your build ( coincidentally have a Herbert number 2 myself flat belt, saved it from scrap) love your work.

Hey Max. Good to see you're getting all settled into your new shop. Merry Christmas and All the best for 2023.

Well done Max, I can see much thought has gone into the layout. I used to work in a similar sized shop with similar sized machines, they used a herringbone layout and just punched holes in the wall behind the headstock on all the lathes for long stock loading/running. This saves huge amounts of space and gives you access all round the machines for maintenance etc. Also, all the wiring drops can then come down the wall and a large central gangway for fork truck/wagon access etc. The only downside was you were always showering the guy in front of you with swarf and coolant lol. Cheers, Jon

Gday Max, you’ve done well to set the shop out, certainly not an easy thing to do and great to see the power is going ahead, next year will be full noise by the looks mate, thanks for the update, cheers

thank you for keeping us updated and educated.

There is a lot more beer to go down the neck ! Make sure you keep hydrated ! . I am also looking at pole type. Crane . Steve Watkins had a good video on build one . Keep up the good work . Remember old dog for a hard road !!

Good effort max. Lots of hard work done, lots to go! Will be a great facility when done

Max, Shop is coming together very nice. Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and have a wonderful New Year . . Thanks so much for expressing your thinking process. It's always good to learn from others.

Max shop looks fantastic can't wait to see you get it all powered up in 23' . What a job to move all those machines and get the layout spot on....gotta love it when it all comes together over a beer 👍👍cheers!!

Extremely impressed with the progress of your new shop, wished we could get things done in more timely manner but guess that's just life, also jealous of your insulation 😉🤣 it gets cold in our bare metal shop 😮‍💨🤧 but at least we've got a heck a mean wood 🪵 stove 🔥🔥🔥🔥

That’s mighty impressive determination on display there, Max! Good on ya 👍

Lookin good Max, looks as though you got it layed out. Merry Christmas to you and yours! Enjoyed watching, thanks.

A powerful array of machine tools is present. It so happened I built a gantry crane, to 1.5 meter below ground support depth with free rotation as 360 degrees. What I found very useful was to so design the central pipe with staggered riser. So as to be able to adjust height. grease zerks allow lubrication as 4 points to mechanism. A step wise increase possible. While I included a weldment to allow hoist motor, it has been function to use a hand powered hoist. And where I planned for a trolley at the I beam extension as "stinger", I have found the available 1/2 extended length as hoist mount meets all needs to ground footprint. The rating was as 900kg but I have yet to exceed that lift. I used welded gussets as floor to 1/2 m 4X to central axis. (base). One shop as employ used a very solid central axis, with an overhead cable to back stay, to distribute tension and was an interior shop design. It was as you mention, a roof secured piviot as top. I report happy cold weaher shop activity here as tool construction, with a large aluminum 2.05 bar stock in various component as work in progress, also compressed air refit. I report design of a jaw chuck with atypical fingers to work piece. Refit of lights, bins, and winter sorting to fasteners under way. A part of my workshop to jeep parking inside as snow reached about half a meter and temperatures are difficult to as about -5 to -10C. I had long thoughts as to tease you with comment such as "relic teaching a craftsman novice lathe secrets ....until that kind Christmas wish. Which I hold welcome and so kind *Max... and where I simply view such machinist thoughts as abrupt from toolbench to a holiday of particular satisfying cheer, perhaps with a dram or spirits as well brewed. I wish that for all so inclined and bid you fair winds Travelers or workshop and larger channel and friends. Regards. M.

All the best Max. Remember to take some to just relax. Cheers

very good video max..thanks for your time

Very well thought out layout and very nice machines

Fantastic effort to put all this together Max - the amount of energy required to keep at it from bare dirt to shed to sourcing machines and fixing them - just wow...

Great to see your dream realised Max Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in New Shed

Happy days Max, g'day mate looking absolutely wonderful, you've done so well I aspire to having my shop at "home" I used to smoke Capstan full strength coffin nails when I worked on my old Capstan #4 lathe lol

Hello Max, Thanks for the walk around the workshop... your logic on positioning the machines all makes sense to me... I like the idea of dropping the power down the pillar of the cranes. If we don't see you again wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Take care. Paul,,

Have a bloody ripper merry Christmas Max ! After all that work you more than deserve it ! BTW thanks for the videos this year - had a blast watching them mate !

Looking good max, it's coming together nicely, crack on..

Hi Max, Happy Christmas to you and yours. I have enjoyed our to and fro's this year and hope to pick them up again in the new. Best wishes mate.

Good discussion/thoughts on the shop layout…Happy Holidays

It's soon filled up, as you said Max, lighting looks great, even with only a few luminaries? The pole /pillar cranes can handle machine loading, no need for a fork lift. Guess your going to be busy over Christmas? Thanks for sharing.

Hi Max the new shop is looking great lots of details to finish yet. Merry Christmas Cheers

Gday Max, Shop's looking awesome, those long hours and hard work really paying off. Sure didn't take long to fill it up... Well thought out planning (beer inspired), should be nice working environment. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year... We will see you then....Cheers

Magnificent Max. Very happy all your work is firming up into a great result.

Amigo max estaba perdido me alegro ver más videos y también me alegro por el taller ubicando las máquinas y el torno jfmt casi listo para ponerlo a trabajar me alegro mi amigo 🙏👍

It is looking great Max, you have some nice toys.

Looking good Max.😊😊😊😊😊

Hi Max your just setting up shop and my mate is just retiring after 25 years engineering in Adelaide they sold the shed he has been renting all those years and he has had a month to finish up and sell his machines. Local dealer buying the lot for a song. His business was based around semi auto cam driven lathes they said the four of them probably end up in the scrap well over $100,000 each when he brought them new, sad really. One thing for you to consider is he used a electric forklift to shift his steel around 1500kg lift capacity and very maneuverable instead of a gantry thanks for your videos have a great Christmas and even better new year

Your shops turning out great Max, you've got some iron in there. Looking forward to seeing your new machines under power and some big jobs now you have the working space. All the best. Tony

G'Day Max, I have machine envy. It all came to me while having a beer, the quintessential Aussie thought process. Was looking for a big ass hydraulic press but didn't see one, is that planned in? All the best for Christmas Max and looking forward to seeing it come together next year and I'm really looking forward to what you have planned for yourself and the shop, I certainly don't think you will be short on work once word gets around. Cam

Gidday Max. Looking good. All the best for Christmas.

Cheers Max. I hope the New Year is not only a lot of work but a lot of fun. Thanks for the great videos. Will

Max, that looks great but its also a LOT of machinery for one man. I do hope you have the jobs to keep them busy and the various able bodies to help get it done. The pole cranes sound good but you will still need to get the pieces close enough to pick up with the cranes. I am assuming you will be getting a forklift or two to move that around. And of course there is the clear path to move stuff through. Merry Christmas. You have a long hard years' work coming up - make the best of your rest.

You will need some real serious time getting all those machines operating! I have always enjoyed equipping my shop and doing electrical work. I will enjoy watching you moving forward. Merry Christmas!!

Cheers! I really like the layout of your workshop. I have a similar big milling machine.

Shop is looking great!

There is always a lot of thinking behind a shop setup. And one day you'll make sone changes, I'm sure :)

Looks fantastic, Thanks.

Coming along very nicely there max 👌

Hey Max. Looking good. Marvellous how quickly the space fills up. Too much machinery is NEVER enough and any spare horizontal surfaces always end up cluttered.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!!! Cheers

Great progress Max , and I bet their will be lot's of good videos to come , Merry Christmas !

Man Max you have some heavy machinery there...your shop looks great. I worked in industry with all that big stuff, I like the smaller stuff now lol! 👍

looks great MAX

Merry Christmas Max, nice shop.

Awesome shop!!!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you

Plan the work; Then work the plan. Failing to plan is planning to fail. Those are the two axioms that get me through big projects. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. Just how it goes.

Great progress Max😄

Shop is filling up fast!

Enjoyed seeing the layout Max. Going through the same thing myself, especially the lifting strategy. Considering a jib crane, but since I didn’t pour the slab, just not sure if I can trust the concrete. Lots to think about. Thanks for sharing.

Put the lathes and orher long stock machines at an angle to a center aisle, to get room that doesnt interfere with other machines. Easier to load with a shop crane, maybe...

Gday Max ... Very well presented, by the time you have the new bench fitted, there won't be much room left. It will be a great sight to see when you have actual producton going . Hope you have a great Christmas with family, & a Very Prosperous 2023 . Be safe & catch you soon ✨️ 👌 👍👍🍺🍺🍺

Sounds like you need to do a shed extension. I just did one to mine, it went from 25 sqm to 36.

Hi Max. Nice to hear you referring to your English language background. I was then left wondering where the Americans inherited their language from .... 🤔😎😉🤣

How do you find time for any paying jobs max. good job on the new shop it’s coming together nicely

Hi mate the shed is never big enough my new shed 3 bays should have been 4 or5 never mind all the best for Xmas mate 👍 😉 😀

From being the big drafty empty building to the normal wish it were just a wee bit longer, wider, etc…..lots of work left for when you are bored. Ha!

Hi Max, you need a mate with a wood mill to mill those slabs of timber, looks like Jarrah?

Nice max where are you planing on putting tool boxes for power and hand tools like drills grinders spanners etc?

The shop is looking awesome!!! Are you going to have a big ass compressor set outside the shop?

Well, you seem to finally have it under control. Fortunately you designed it big enough. I seem to get more equipment than I have room for. Add in the stock of plastic, wood and metals, and there’s never enough room to move around in.

G’day Max, the new workshop is really taking shape now. Just wondering are you going to line the walls? Have a good one 👍🇦🇺

Great video. At what stage will you take the machines off the wood blocks? I’m arranging mine and afraid to commit to putting the machines down on the concrete.. Always thinking I’ll find a better layout..Sorry for stupid question…

G'day Max, looking good. So is the shop too small or have you got too many machines?? (you can never have too many tools/machines). Now don't have too many beers or you'll think of changing things around. Merry Christmas Peter

no wonder its coming along slowly ! ya keep stoppin for lunch ya mad buggah. lol

It would have been nice to have known the layout before you poured the floor so you could have put conduit in the floor but you didn't have all of the machines then.

it was a big shed mate

Just a thought. Why not get a lard DSG lathe, the RR of lathes???

Far out! How big is the shed and how thick is the slab for this many machines? Would be a lot of weight i imagine

Bueno amigo feliz navidad y que Dios cuide de tus triunfos y de tu familia 🙏 amigó yo aún le pido a Dios pará este año mi tornó y así empezar a trabajar por mi cuenta y poder ayudar Ami familia 🙏👍

why cant you use coolant when dressing a wheel ?

When do you start hiring, Max?

Hello Max does any of those machine work ?

Why do you need 4 lathes?

Where are you going to put your junk???? Stavros

I'm surprised.I see russian machine, 6Р83Ш.

You incredible drive and skill set coming to life before our eyes Max, my only regret is I don't live nearby to lend a hand in the shop. I wish you and your family all the best new year.